BEIJING — China's crude oil output saw steady expansion by rising 4.4 percent year-on-year in the first quarter, official data showed.

The output totaled 51.19 million metric tons from January to March, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Meanwhile, crude oil imports further declined during the period. As one of the world's largest oil buyers, China imported 127.85 million tons of crude oil, down 8.1 percent from a year earlier.

In March alone, China's crude oil output went up 3.9 percent year-on-year to 17.71 million tons, while crude oil imports fell 14 percent to 42.71 million tons, NBS data showed.